Víra
Víra is the most common faith in the Homelands of the Old World in Munda Nova. The faith features a four-part pantheon of a family of gods, each analogous with one of the four classical elements. The gods are representative of a greater whole, symbolizing divine benevolence and guidance over all creation. Gods There are four gods in Víra; Otek the father, Sírmatka the mother, Ducera the daughter and Rozumet the son. Otek is associated with the element of Earth, Sírmatka with the element of Water, Ducera with the element of Air and Rozumet with the element of Fire. Together, they form the Syrduch, or divine unity. Some sects associate Syrduch with an amalgamate persona, but orthodoxy holds that the four gods are separate persons who collectively hold absolute universal power. Otek Otek is the father-figure of the pantheon, holding power over the Earth. He is most commonly characterized as a huge, white-haired, bearded man in plain robes. He is commonly associated with geological landforms, steadfastness, honesty and the afterlife. Churches built to honor him or his saints tend to be vast buildings with a low profile, which use a lot of stained glass and let in little plain light. With Sírmatka, Otek forms a loving bond, and together they are prayed to by farmers for good fortune in their harvests. His holy day is the last day of winter, and as he stands vigil over the passing of the year, it is traditional to hold a solemn vigil in his church to call upon memories of the past year and herald its end. Sírmatka Sírmatka is the mother-figure of the pantheon, holding power over Water. She is most commonly characterized as a large plainly-robed woman with a deeply lined old face, often said to always show kindness to all things. She is commonly associated with oceans, eternity and the purity of mind and body. Churches built to honor her tend to use vaulted construction, and idols depicting her usually have a lipped base that can be filled with shallow water. She has a loving bond with Otek, and together they can be said to bring fortune to all living things. On the last day of summer, her holy day, it is tradition (although not canon law) to drink only pure, fresh water from a river if possible. Ducera Ducera is the daughter-figure of the pantheon, holding power over Air. She is most commonly characterized as a slender woman with flowing hair in long regal robes. She is often associated with weather, good health, travel and progress. Sects dedicated to her tend to be more encouraging of philosophy and new ideas. Her churches tend to be open, airy buildings with many empty windows, and some of her more impressive places of worship are permanent pavilions flanked by colonnades, open to the elements. Her holy day is the last of spring, and is a time of celebration and happiness. Rozumet Rozumet is the son-figure of the pantheon, holding power over Fire. He is most commonly characterized as a strongly-built man, sometimes depicted in either regal robes or golden armor. He is associated with metals, honor, victory and pride. His churches tend to be well-lit by massive braziers and precious chandeliers, with candles holding prominent positions in services dedicated to him. He tends to be associated with wars, particularly to bring the true faith to heathens - but he is also associated with peaceful victory over ignorance and paganism through evangelism and missionary work. His holy day, the last of autumn, was in the past the traditional time to host chivalric tournaments. Other Entities in Víra Syrduch Syrduch is the name of the divine unity of power between the gods. Neither Treuevíta nor Revnostai acknowledge Syrduch as an entity independent entity, although some quasi-heretical sects in both faiths support the worship of the Syrduch separately from the four gods, take that as you will. Despite not being considered a separate entity, churches to the Syrduch are most common, as they can be viewed as a way of worshiping all four gods at once. Churches and cathedrals of the Syrduch are usually grand buildings embellished with precious metals and great works of art. Kouzelník Kouzelník is a significant evil force from Víran mythology. His origins are unknown, with canon painting him as a dark force and source of evil which seeks to create suffering and eventually undo creation. He was sealed away at the heart of the world by Otek and Sírmatka at it's creation, before the births of Ducera and Rozumet and the later creation of Man. Treuevíran canon paints Kouzelník as the High Chief of the Demons, while the Revnostai faith states that he is an evil destructive counterpart to a god. He is associated with 'corrupting' forces such as paganism, magic and witchcraft. (His affinity with magic is not officially stated in the canon, but is inferred by later theological works and was the basis for many a witch-burning in the past. Skeptics would point out that in no instances did an accused witch ever demonstrate any magic or witchcraft.) Treuevíra Treuevíra is one of the two main branches of Víra, characterized by Church being placed at the same level of importance as secular leadership. It is headed by the Treuevater of the United Gods, the head of the faith who sits in the great holy city of Dochvlast. Technically, Dochvlast is a part of the Divine Empire, but the Treuevater holds a special status that allows him to make ecclesiastical decrees independently as a sovereign over his lands, meaning that the city of Dochvlast and its surrounds enjoy Divine Empire protection without being subject to it's laws, and in fact serves as a sort of second capital to the Empire ruled directly by the church. Treuevíra acknowledges a great number of saints and holy days, and mandates prayer and consumption of holy meals at the end of every week. In Dochvlast are also the four Treuebishops, the high priests of the four gods. Each is appointed by the Treuevater and holds the authority to appoint successor bishops in realms that follow the practice of supreme investiture. In such realms, the Treuevater appoints the successors to the Syrduch churches, and can also overrule any decision made by a Treuebishop. The Treuevater is decided by a simple vote amongst Treuebishops at the time of the Treuevater's death as to which of them will replace him. However, some states do not subscribe to supreme investiture, allowing the monarch or equivalent ruler to pick and choose who serves as bishops in their realm. This is unpopular with the Treuevater. Sectarianism in Treuevíra Sectarian divisions in any branch of Víra are inevitable, but in Treuevíra they are limited by religious oversight. Deviation too far from orthodoxy is likely to be branded as heresy and all followers of such a sect are considered dangerous heretics. Such denouncements are usually made by the Dochvlast, although local sects can be denounced by local bishops under the Dochvlast's authority. Dethroning such a heretic ruler and placing the closest successor who follows the true faith on the throne is a valid casus belli for devout rulers. Revnostai In Revnostai states, there is no central religious authority. Revnostai nations have four Patriachs, as appointed by the monarch or equivalent state leader. Each represents one of the four gods and decides the investiture of bishops in the relevant churches, but in practice can be overruled by the monarch. There are no Syrduch priests and bishops in Revnostai, and churches dedicated to more than one god have one priest or bishop per god. These individuals usually cooperate in delivering sermons, although sometimes this leads to conflict and controversy. Sectarianism in Revnostai Sectarian divisions are more widespread in Revnostai, as it is normal for the monarch to have significant say in deciding the ecclesiastical business of their kingdom. In addition, the single-god priest structure lends itself well to individual communities, towns and sometimes small countries dedicating themselves primarily to one god and paying the others less heed. This can be unpopular with other groups, who worship primarily another god or all gods with more parity, although it is not usually considered justification for war. Treuevíra-Revnostai Relations Relations between the two main denominations of Víra are hardly cordial - they are best described as 'cold contempt'. Each believes that they alone are right and that the other is wrong. However, this is not usually considered sufficient to be a cause for war on its own. Noteworthy Víra Sects Treuevíra Sects These sects are affiliated with Treuevíra. Some Treuevíra sects are considered heretical by the Treuevater and thus banned in most Treuevíra states, including the Divine Empire. Eisenberg Eisenberg would usually be considered a relatively mundane and unimportant sect if not for the fact that Emperor Marcellus IV is a member and this was used as part of the justification for the Church Rebellion that began the Divine Empire's Civil War. In terms of dogma, Eisenberg does not challenge scripture, but instead promotes that there should be less distinction between religious and secular rule - effectively giving kings more power over the religious estate. Following the outbreak of the civil war, many of the Emperor's supporters joined this sect, and have taken a more radical view, known as Neu-Eisenberg. This postulates that there should be one ruler in both religious and secular matters, implying that the Emperor should rule over the Treuevater directly. Whilst this is basically open heresy and has been harshly condemned by much of the Church, the Emperor has yet to make his personal opinion on Neu-Eisenberg clear yet. Revnostai Sects There are a great multitude of sects associated with Revnostai, many unique to individual countries. The Albari alone is estimated to contain no less than forty sects with official recognition, and perhaps hundreds more unrecognized. It is rare for a Revnostai sect to be banned, and this is usually decided on secular authority. Unaffiliated Sects These are sects which are not specifically affiliated with either branch of Víra, but nevertheless are part of the faith as a whole. Tilinta Kontuan Tilinta Kontuan is a sect originating from Treuevíra, but which is fundamentally different in many aspects, removing it from overt similarity to both Treuevíra and Revnostai. Tilinta originated in the Windelm Islands of Munda Nova in the writings of a freed slave, Siku Arratz. He was imported to Munda Nova along the south-lane slaving routes from Mansakee preferred by the Nevaranians. Whilst a slave, he had attempted to learn as much as he could of the Víra faith, but due to his status as a slave and the scripture's banning of faithful Víra slaves, he was prohibited from joining the faith by his owner. Nevertheless, being an intelligent man, he recorded what he could of the religion in his native language in secret, and begun preaching this interpretation of the faith to his fellow slaves. Eventually, he was sold with the plantation he worked on, and earned his manumission by proving his adherence to the faith to his new, fortunately more pious, owner. He began traveling the Nevaranian colonies and preaching the faith to any slaves he could, trying to earn them all freedom through religion. When the Nevaranian colonial governors learned of this, they made an official statement declaring that Tilinta Kontuan was not a recognized sect of Víra, and the keeping of adherent slaves was perfectly legal. Arratz was captured and hanged for attempting to incite slaves to revolt without much in the way of a trial. Nevertheless, Tilinta Kontuan gained a life of its own and a significant following, particularly amongst Mansakee adherents as Arratz's texts were written in the creole of Mansakeea and Nevaranian which is spoken by most of them. Slaves with different ethnic backgrounds are less inclined towards the faith, but followers do exist. Since it is not an 'officially recognized' sect and as such does not create the risk of emancipation, slaveowners often allow slaves to openly practice Tilinta Kontuan, and sometimes even pay freedmen adherents to preach to their slaves in order to prevent them picking up actual Treuevíra practices. Dogmatically, Tilinta Kontuan is distinctive because it does not recognize the authority of the Treuevater (Arratz had never heard of him), and there are in fact no spiritually recognized leaders - there is no rank higher than that of a priest. Wealthier priests could run their own chapel, often a makeshift affair for the use of slaves. Many priests wander freely between plantations, with nothing more than a book or two, that they probably can't entirely read, to preach from. Priests do not specialize in following one god - each is supposed to equally represent all four, and be accountable to nobody but them. There are also many discrepancies in the scripture of Tilinta Kontuan, but they are too numerous to list. This sect is most popular in Yaxis, Berria Ira and the Windelm Islands. Regardless, due to its nature and affiliation with slaves, followers of Tilinta Kontuan are often persecuted and stigmatized. Víra and Cheese Cheese holds a major significance in Víra theology, as it was the First Food involved in the creation myth. Although not referenced much in canon, cheese is nevertheless considered the archetypical food of the holy, and is always consumed on holy days (except by those who are allergic to cheese, who are considered unfortunate individuals and tend to be stigmatized by society at large). Inexplicably, a lot of Munda Nova ecclesiastical names are the names of cheeses in the real world. For example, the current Treuevater of the United Gods is named Camembert XII. This may help you name your holy men. Category:MN Category:Religions